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CU-Boulder researcher: Natural play areas provide classroom benefits

By Charlie Brennan, Camera Staff Writer

Posted:
07/22/2014 09:01:42 AM MDT

Updated:
07/22/2014 09:59:00 AM MDT

A study led by a University of Colorado professor has found that playgrounds featuring natural habitats and trees, not just asphalt and recreational equipment, lessen children's stress and inattention.

The study, reported in a paper published in the journal Health & Place, also discovered that working on class assignments or gardening in such settings also provide stress-reducing benefits for young people.

"Schools are where children spend a major part of their life hours, so it's an important place to look at for integrating daily contact with the natural world because of the many benefits it brings."

Numerous settings were observed for the study, including elementary-school students' recess in wooded and built areas; fourth- through sixth-grade students' use of a natural habitat for science and writing lessons; and high school students' gardening for volunteerism, required school service or coursework.

The sites were located at a private elementary school in Baltimore that serves children with dyslexia and other learning disabilities; a public elementary school in suburban Denver with students from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds; and four public and private entities for teenagers -- a college preparatory school, a public high school, an alternative school and an afterschool program -- throughout Colorado.Together, the researchers logged more than 1,200 hours of observation.

The paper's co-authors included three former doctoral students: Kelly Keena and Illène Pevec, both who were at CU-Denver; and Emily Stanley, who was at Antioch University New England in Keene, N.H.

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